Overview & Reviews

Acura is an upscale automaker known for offering cars with impressive levels of luxury, features and performance. It's come a long way in a short time, however, as the history of Acura is relatively brief. Parent company Honda introduced the Acura brand to the U.S. market in 1986 in an effort to create a separate luxury division for its products. At first, it was just a two-car show: the Legend sedan, which was the first true Japanese luxury car sold in America, and the Integra sport coupe and sedan.

Though essentially a marketing creation for the North American market, the Acura brand was immediately successful. Consumers liked the features, performance and upscale image of Acura cars, along with the fact that Acuras were backed by Honda's reputation for reliability and low ownership costs. In 1991, Acura introduced its crown jewel: the all-aluminum NSX sports car, which offered performance close to that of other exotic cars while undercutting them in price.

As Acura's product line grew in the 1990s, however, the company struggled a bit. Some of its products were duds, and it risked alienating loyal customers when it replaced the Legend and Integra names with alphanumeric designations. The company jumped on the hot luxury SUV bandwagon in the mid-'90s with the SLX. Unfortunately, the SLX was just a rebadged version of an Isuzu SUV, and its quality did not match customers' expectations.

For the new millennium, Acura revamped its product range. An all-new SUV called the MDX debuted, sporting numerous family-friendly features, including a third-row seat. The Integra was replaced with the RSX sport coupe, and an all-new entry-level sport sedan called the TSX was introduced after that. A complete redesign of its most popular model, the midsize TL sedan, followed, as did a redesign of its flagship RL luxury sedan.

By mid-decade the NSX was gone, but Acura filled out its model lineup with the street-performance-oriented RDX compact crossover, the TSX wagon and the ZDX, a fastback-styled crossover that placed unique styling over practicality. Today Acura is still trying to find its ideal niche but there's no denying the quality of Acura's vehicles, nor their appealing mix of performance, technology and value.

User Reviews:

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  Hot Vehicle - 2002 Acura RL
  By PrimeTime - October 13 - 2:00 am

  Excellent, Plan to purchase another Acura within next 2 years.

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  Great looks, but engine soso - 1992 Acura Legend
  By - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Admittedly, one of the best looking cars ever built: a good combo of elegence and muscle. However, I have had problems with the engine overheating. Moreover, b/c the engines were built with very narrow margins b/ween parts, a little overheating can do serious damage, as it did in mine. Nonetheless, If I had 15 grand to blow on a car, I rather buy a legend and then replace the engine and/or tranny than a new cavalier or something.

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  Fun to drive - 1990 Acura Integra
  By Talat Islam - October 4 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car with 85000 miles. I have put another 40000 almost. Still runs great. The only problem I had was with the a/c. Once fixed its great now. Its a great car to drive.

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  A Rational Persons SUV - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Rational Buyer - September 22 - 2:00 am

  I drive SUVs because I need the interior storage space for golf equipment, antiques and garden supplies. The Acura MDX easily offers the largest cargo space of any mid-sized SUV on the market. With the rear seats down, you can fit a 4 by 8 plywood sheet flat between the wheel wells. To have this in a luxury vehicle engineered by Acura makes this a no-brainer. If you want an SUV for the real world, buy an MDX. IF you want a rather useless hood ornament to impress your neighbors or prop up a low self image, buy an X5 or an RX300.

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  Rattles but rolls - 2004 Acura TL
  By ziggy3 - September 19 - 10:00 am

  Disappointed with the build quality of this car. Expect more from Acura/Honda product. Many interior rattles, headliner fell and body panels misaligned. Engine and ride are excellent. Would wait a year for Acura to get the bugs out. I thought I wouldnt have to worry about that with a Honda product, but I guess I was wrong.

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  Getting the most for your money - 2004 Acura TL
  By Seat Clip - September 19 - 10:00 am

  The only problem that Iev had with the car is several visits back to the Acura service department because the front seat clip that connects the seats plastic base to the leather seat. The Service dept. claims to have replaced it (seat clip) on every occasion, but breaks shortly after that. PS Good luck in finding an affordable cellphone with the blue tooth feature under $150.

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  Great Deal - 2002 Acura RL
  By mdbrad - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Acura had a $4,000 dealer rebate thru Labor Day which I got the dealer to give to me. Thus, I "stole" my 02 RL for $34,225. That is truly an extraordinary price for such a finely built car. While I wish the mileage as better, the car is quite an upgrade from my 98 Accord EX with V-6. While the Accords engine was more responsive, the RL can certainly get out of it s own way on the road. The day after I bought it, I drove it 5 hours on a trip, and it is truly wonderful. An in-dash CD Player is a must for the next edition of the car, as is dual climate control and improved mileage. Just added the VTEC engine to this car would suffice.

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  Poor Customer Support/Arragunt Responce - 2002 Acura RL
  By srinip - September 18 - 2:00 am

  My RL has manufacturing defect on paint. When I contacted Acura for this problem but no response for 10 days, time the rep said the case is with the manager for review. Same evening Case manage called me and was so rude and rough, He not only listined to my problem but putting alligations on me and said I can do whatever I can do. I was very much disappointed with the customer care the Acura does with their customers. Beware acura is selling RL for less (May be the defective models) not listed on any documents.

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  Transmission Problems - 2001 Acura TL
  By PatT - September 12 - 2:00 am

  I loved my T.L. up until last month. The transmission would not shift into 4th or 5th gear. I took it to the dealer for transmission replacement. When I picked it up, three weeks later, there was still a problem with it. Mechanics cannot seem to find the problem. Still not shifting properly and making an odd noise. Also windshield and wipers not good. Very dissappointed since I felt Acura was a very reliable car. A

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  Owner - 2002 Acura MDX
  By miky - September 10 - 2:00 am

  I loved this vehicle. It is fun to drive and cruise.